Gareth Southgate says Wilfried Zaha (left), who is pictured playing against Moldova for the World Cup qualifiers, can make it to the top

The £15million Manchester United winger was back in the England Under-21s squad for a European Championship qualifier against minnows Moldova last Thursday night.

But Zaha, 20, of whom great things are expected this ­season, was not even on the United bench for the Premier League clash with Liverpool last Sunday.

Southgate, England’s new Under-21s coach, said: “I think one of my strengths is dealing with young people – I’ve been through that at Middlesbrough with a lot of young players.

“And one of my jobs now, for instance, is to try to help Wilfried back into the senior squad.

“For many young players, the journey is an upward one for a long period of time.

“You come through academy systems, you are always picked for the team, you are always part of the squad.

“At some point along the road you get a knock – and ­Wilfried has had an incredible few months with Crystal Palace winning promotion, joining United and getting into the senior England squad.

“I think he needs to draw breath and be able to adjust to the enormous amount of changes in his life.

Gareth Southgate, newly appointed as England's Under-21 coach, says Zaha has potential to be a big-name international player

“I think he needs to draw breath and be able to adjust to the enormous amount of changes in his life”

Gareth Southgate

“Hopefully, he sees the importance of his time with the Under-21s. I have looked forward to working with him and I saw a fair bit of him at Palace.

“He is an exciting player and I’m sure he has the talent to get himself back into the senior side. So not being in the current senior squad is a minor setback for him.

“But, in any player’s career, it’s how you deal with those setbacks which is the most important thing.”

Zaha, meanwhile, who has two full ­England caps, also faces a fight to ­establish himself at United, with Nani having signed a new five-year contract at Old Trafford.

That means Zaha is now in competition for a wide role with Nani, Antonio ­Valencia, Ashley Young, Ryan Giggs and emerging talent Jesse Lingard, while striker Danny Welbeck and playmaker Shinji ­Kagawa can also play there.

Southgate launched his ­career as ­Stuart Pearce’s successor with a 1-0 win over Moldova, with Zaha showing some neat touches.